Matthew 18
18
Who Is the Greatest?
1At that time#18:1 Lit hour#Mk 9:33–37; Lk 9:46–48 the disciples#Mt 9:10; Mk 10:10; Lk 6:1; Jn 6:3; Ac 6:1 came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” #Mt 22:24; Jn 3:35; 13:20 2He called a small child and had him stand among them. 3“Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children,#Mt 19:14; Mk 10:15; Lk 18:17; 1Co 14:20; 1Pt 2:2 you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.#Mt 5:20; 7:21; 19:23–24; Mk 9:47; Jn 3:5 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child — this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoever welcomes#18:5 Or receives one child like this in my name welcomes me.
6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away — it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. #
Mk 9:42; Lk 17:2; 1Co 8:12 7Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses will inevitably come, but woe to that person by whom the offense comes.#Mt 26:24; Lk 17:1; 1Co 11:19 8If your hand or your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.#Mt 5:30; 25:41; Mk 9:43 9And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire.#18:9 Lit gehenna of fire#Mt 5:22,29; Mk 9:47
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 “See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, #
Est 1:14; Lk 1:19; Rv 8:2 because I tell you that in heaven their angels#Ps 34:7; 91:11; Heb 1:14 continually view the face of my Father in heaven.#18:10 Some mss include v. 11: For the Son of Man has come to save the lost.#Mt 6:29; 25:40,45; Lk 15:7,10 12What do you think?#Lk 15:1–7 If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray?#Mt 17:25; 21:28 13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep#18:13 Lit over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
Restoring a Brother
15 “If your brother sins against you, # 18:15 Other mss omit against you go tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother.#Lv 19:17; Lk 17:3; Gl 6:1; 2Th 3:15; Jms 5:19; 1Pt 3:1 16But if he won’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimony#18:16 Lit mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be established.#18:16 Dt 19:15#Nm 35:30; Jn 8:17; 2Co 13:1; 1Tm 5:19; Heb 10:28 17If he doesn’t pay attention to them, tell the church.#18:17 Or congregation#Mt 16:18; 1Co 14:4; Rv 1:4 If he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you.#Rm 16:17; 1Co 5:9; 6:1–6; 2Th 3:6,14; 2Jn 10 18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound#18:18 Or earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed#18:18 Or earth will be loosed in heaven.#Mt 16:19; Jn 20:23 19Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any matter that you#18:19 Lit they pray for, it will be done for you#18:19 Lit for them by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.”
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” #Lk 17:3–4; Col 3:13
22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.#18:22 Or but seventy-seven times
23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talents#18:24 A talent is worth about 6,000 denarii, or twenty years’ wages for a laborer was brought before him. 25Since he did not have the money to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.#Ex 21:2; Lv 25:39; 2Kg 4:1; Neh 5:5,8; Lk 7:42
26 “At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.
28 “That servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. # 18:28 A denarius = one day’s wage #
Mt 20:2; 22:19; Mk 6:37; 14:5; Lk 7:41; 10:35; Jn 6:7 He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’
29 “At this, his fellow servant fell down # 18:29 Other mss add at his feet and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. 31When the other servants saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened. 32Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ #Mt 6:12; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13; 1Jn 4:11 34And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. 35So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister#18:35 Other mss add their trespasses from your heart.”#Pr 21:13; Mt 6:14; Jms 2:13
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Matthew 18: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Matthew 18
18
Rank in the Kingdom
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2He called a little child and set him before them, 3and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever #I.e. turns his back on self-righteous pride and adopts a realistic self-view.humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5Whoever receives and welcomes one #I.e. new, childlike believer.child like this in My name receives Me; 6but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Stumbling Blocks
7 “Woe (judgment is coming) to the world because of stumbling blocks and temptations to sin! It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person on whose account or through whom the stumbling block comes!
8 “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off and throw it away from you [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into everlasting fire. 9If your eye causes you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; it is better for you to enter life with only one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fiery hell.
10 “See that you do not despise or think less of one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven [are in the presence of and] continually look upon the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11#Early mss do not contain this verse.[For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.]
Ninety-nine Plus One
12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them gets lost, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go in search of the one that is lost? 13And if it turns out that he finds it, I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost. 14So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones be lost.
Discipline and Prayer
15 “If your brother sins # Late mss add against you. , go and show him his fault in private; if he listens and pays attention to you, you have won back your brother. 16But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two others, so that every word may be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17If he pays no attention to them [refusing to listen and obey], tell it to the #Gr ecclasia, the word means a gathering and may be translated congregation, assembly, or church.church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile (unbeliever) and a tax collector. 18I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth #Gr estai lelumenon, future perfect passive.shall have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth #Gr estai lelumenon, future perfect passive.shall have [already] been loosed in heaven.
19 “Again I say to you, that if two # Lit of you. believers on earth agree [that is, are of one mind, in harmony] about anything that they ask [within the will of God], it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.”
Forgiveness
21Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus answered him, “I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven.
23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24When he began the accounting, one who owed him 10,000 #A talent was a measurement of weight, usually 58-80 pounds. One talent of silver was worth more than 15 years’ wages. One talent of gold was worth even more. 10,000 talents would be an inconceivable amount of debt for a slave in the king’s service to repay.talents was brought to him. 25But because he could not repay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and his children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made. 26So the slave fell on his knees and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27And his master’s heart was moved with compassion and he released him and forgave him [canceling] the debt. 28But that same slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him #About 100 days’ wages for a laborer.a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began choking him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe!’ 29So his fellow slave fell on his knees and begged him earnestly, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30But he was unwilling and he went and had him thrown in prison until he paid back the debt. 31When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and they went and reported to their master [with clarity and in detail] everything that had taken place. 32Then his master called him and said to him, ‘You wicked and contemptible slave, I forgave all that [great] debt of yours because you begged me. 33Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave [who owed you little by comparison], as I had mercy on you?’ 34And in wrath his master turned him over to the torturers (jailers) until he paid all that he owed. 35My heavenly Father will also do the same to [every one of] you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
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